Varanasi (UP): Concerned over the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state, Chairman of National Commission for Women Mamata Sharma has asked the Akhilesh government to take immediate steps in this direction

"I have written a letter in this regard to the UP government, but I have got no response from them," she told reporters in Varanasi on Saturday.

Incidents of rape, eve-teasing and domestic violence are prominent in the state. If police work effectively, the rate of such crimes can be brought down, she said.

Unhappy over lack of protection to women in villages, she said women residing in cities and towns still have protection available but those living in villages lack it. While appreciating the better sex ratio in Jaunpur and Azamgarh, which stands at 1014 females per thousand males, she said it is a positive sign.